On Thursday the FCC may open a notice of inquiry on network neutrality. It's unclear what new information there is to gather on the issue, since neither proponents nor opponents have withheld their opinions or analyses.

Nevertheless, hopefully a careful review of the issue -- including the unimpressive history of price regulations in telecom (which is the essence of net neutrality) -- will help convince the FCC that conduct should remain under the watchful eye of antitrust authorities rather than subject to precautionary regulations that could prove quite costly to the economy and harmful to consumers.